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[Frumple]

It's mostly an "any race" class. Dwarf (for added defenses, which corruptors are a little low on, not that it matters much) or shalore would be my primary picks, though. Undead work well enough as well, for the same reason as dwarves do. Shalore's 10% crit racial is particularly good on them, though, as corruptors naturally lean toward a crit build later in the game. The global proc doesn't hurt either, though you probably won't be pumping dex to really benefit from it.

Stats wise, you max magic, get willpower to maybe 20-30 (vim regen on kill is boosted by willpower), then split between con and cun, leaning toward cunning. Maybe get enough strength together to wear platemail if you're feeling frisky -- vim is one of the few resources completely uneffected by fatigue. The particularly sexy late game armors for blast-casters are both robes, though (black robe and firewalker, iirc. They've got trigger-on-spell abilities.).

Talent wise, they're not very complicated. You don't have many generic talents, and of the curses and hexes, pacification and domination, and death and vulnerability are the particularly good ones. Domination can be left alone if you feel like it, but pacification is incredible (especially maxed), vulnerability is one of your relative few native methods of resistance reduction, and the curse of death is just g'damn painful (not to mention buggers up healing).

Class wise, you mainly just throw points into junk that does damage, especially the direct AoE stuff. You can go into diseases or not, as you please, with a similar lean toward bone (though bone shield is somewhat useful in the later game -- though only against certain enemies -- and spear and nova gives some alright damage diversity from your normal blight/acid kit) being up to you. The fearscape tree is another up in the air thing... it can bring some amazing tools to your table (especially if you're a skeleton and can properly abuse wraithform), but its really good stuff (flames of U-whatever and fearscape) are very expensive. Willful tormenter helps out a bit with that, nowadays. Regardless, it's usually better saved for your 20 or 30 cat point.

Mostly you just stack on the pain and pick up the few defensive-type talents you can manage when the opportunity presents itself. Corruptors are largely all-dakka all the time, heh. 'Bout to turn in for the night, but I can probably write up a bit better point-by-point sometime tomorrow, when I'm more aware and hopefully using a proper keyboard. If someone doesn't ninja me to it

[dei]

So I messed around with a Cornac Paradox Mage for a bit last night and I've got to say I'm loving the class very much. However, I have a couple questions. First and foremost is how should I distribute my stats on said Paradox Mage? I know that both Magic and Willpower are equally important but what I'm wondering is which I should prioritize or what not.

My second question is in regards to their talents. What talents make for a decent Paradox Mage? I've been prioritizing Celerity and Static History for the first few levels but that in turn leaves Molnichol's attacks somewhat weak. I'm wondering what those who have played Paradox Mage would recommend I prioritize and work on with a Paradox Mage.

My third question is in regards to inscriptions for a Paradox Mage. What kind of inscriptions should a Paradox Mage acquire? I don't have any clue about this because both of the test runs I did last night didn't bring up any noteworthy inscriptions, yet for some reason I have a feeling that they would benefit from healing infusions and movement infusions because of how low their health is and because of how they have access to Celerity and Haste - both skills that make movement infusions even more useful than they already are. But still, am I right on that assumption or is there something else that a Paradox Mage would benefit more from in regards to inscriptions?

I might have a fourth and final question later depending on how my findings from my continuation of the second test run go; those findings may also determine if said test run is to become a serious run that has Molnichol - my Cornac Paradox Mage - attempting to beat Weissel - my Higher Temporal Warden - in regards to her current high score. But, I hope I can make use of whatever knowledge can be given with your answers before I do that. Thank you for your help as always.

[Frumple]

Stats wise, you want to max magic first, but not neglect willpower. Will qualifies for some talents and, in general, makes PMs safer. Magic (spellpower, anyway, which magic boosts) just makes most things (especially damage) better. If you luck out with some heavy spellpower kit early-ish, you might even be able to neglect magic a bit (though you'll still max it, eventually) in order to bump up willpower or con.

As for more general or comprehensive strategy/build stuff, check out this thread over on the t4 forums. It's a pretty decent one as far as PM banter goes. I chime in, but I'd take most things I say about paradox magi with a grain of salt. Haven't played them much.

As for inscriptions, basically anything you'd normally take on a caster. Some healing or damage mitigation (shield runes), some utility (probably a wild infusion, but PMs have at least one talent for dealing with debuffs, iirc), some escape (TP or movement). Like TWs, they benefit uniquely from the rune of the rift, though there's currently an issue (it'll randomly level up stuff you hit with it, granting them a full heal in the process) with time skip (and thus the rune) that makes using it kinda' iffy.

[Omegameep]

Tales of Maj'Eyal is being greenlighted.
I'm hoping there will be a mod workshop similar to Dungeon of dredmor.

[dei]

I managed to start hitting the per-level cap for Magic on Molnichol - my female Cornac Paradox Mage - by level 6 and since then have been putting around 1-2 points into Willpower every level. That combined with both the Paradox Mastery talent at level 10 and the spending at least a hundred and twenty turns every other floor in a zone using talents to tune Paradox down to a manageable level (around a hundred and seventy-five points with both of her sustains up) has made managing Paradox a bit easier provided I don't get ambushed or have to deal with large crowds.

I also took Frumple's advice that was posted on the Tales of Maj'Eyal forums about buying new talents over investing in older ones that don't have some kind of a breaking point and applied it to all of my characters, with some additional provisions of course. For example I always prioritize translocation whenever possible and maximize it for the most range possible - hence why I already have Dimension Step 5 on Molnichol and had it there by around level 7 I think. That range will help in any situation that involves getting out of the line of fire, with the notable exception of vaults.

Those vaults are often times a cause for concern on most of my characters, especially the ones in Daikara. Then again the ones in Daikara are what really give me trouble there and only there as the rest of said zone is ridiculously easy for many of my characters. I have more problems in the Maze and the Sandworm Lair, followed by rare occasions in Old Forest that involve poisoned water or legions of snakes. Damn insidious reptiles dodge bullets at an alarming rate.

But back to my priorities with talents, other than translocation talents I prioritize talents that increase physical power, accuracy, spellpower, resistance to damage, saving throws and damage dealt on most of my characters. Any sort of talent that provides a percentage variable of some kind I want to have up to at least a minimum of 25% and preferably at least at 50% as soon as possible - Aegis and Entropic Field are two talents I treat like this. I also like to make sure that healing talents like Healing Light and Arcane Reconstruction are leveled at a rate to where a casting of one can equal a full heal at the point of time it can do so. For Arcane Reconstruction in particular I'll also make sure to maximize it after getting Phase Door 4 in order to maximize the damage shield that Arcane Shield will provide - often times this will end up with Granmeri being able to get a 400+ health damage shield when combined with Aegis, and that is quite nice at the point in time I usually need that sort of thing.

I don't know if that stuff I do for talents is good or not, but I like to think it is. If there are any suggestions I would like to hear them. Right now though I'm wondering why I'm still awake around a time where I usually wake up in the morning. Oh well, looks like there might be an early morning sleep-deprived run of Tales of Maj'Eyal in order.

[Robsoie]

Looks like for the "Annual Roguelike Release Party", there's a new level 20/25 zone that open in ToME4 but only if you play online apparently :
http://te4.org/blogs/darkgod/2012/09/arrp/arrp-2012-fylish-island

From what i read on the official boards, it looks like this zone introduce an Orc class for the players.
Probably going to be featured in the next version too.

For those interested and didn't knew how to, if you wish to listen to the most excellent ToME4 soundtrack, you can open the file named "tome-0.9.42.team" located in
...\t-engine4-windows-1.0.0beta42\game\modules\
with your favorite archive extractor (7zip, winzip, winrar, etc...) , navigate to the "data" folder and you'll find a "music" folder that contains the 40 superb musics in OGG format.

[Frumple]

Also worth noting the music is creative-commons licensed, iirc. Tells you in the credits file where it all came from, but here's a post on the t4 forums that provides quick links to 'em.

[Graven]

Welp, playing my second Solipsist and already I feel a vague existential guilt. I don't think I can be stopped right now. Been tanking 3+ mages in the Dark Crypt, steamrolled the Weirdling beast... actually I'm steamrolling everything. I haven't died once yet, level 24, just did the crypt.

I need some help, though. I got a kickass lantern from the vendor you rescue from the rogues, but it's powered by Arcane forces. If I go antimagic, will I be able to use it? I've never gone antimagic before, mostly because screw Zigur and everyone in it, so I don't know.

Edit : Yeah, I won't be able to. Oh well, this guy seems like an asshole anyway, time to go antimagic.

[Frumple]

Yeah, actually going antimagic completely blocks the usage of any and all arcane powered items (including runes and wands) and talents.

Solipsists are one of those that can just go "Eh." and move on. Antimagic shield makes solipsists (even more) utterly ridiculous, and when you throw the fungal tree and 100% heal to psi conversion on top of that... you don't die. Pretty much period. It just doesn't happen.

And then you get mindstar mastery tree too and suddenly you're trolololing around meleeing farportal bosses. It's a helluva' thing to watch, heh.

[Graven]

No, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna happen.

Because I went into the god damn Farportal forgetting I don't have a god damn lightsource, because of course Wintertide is also powered by Arcane forces, so after bumbling around for 20 minutes I had to recall and the stupid thing broke.

Oh well. The problem is I still can't find a light source. This is getting ridiculous.

edit : Welp, found one. In Dreadfell, level 3. Good thing I'm not anything other than solipsist, because I'm not sure blindly wandering into undead-warehouses would've worked out for me on a Paradox Mage.

[Frumple]

It woulda' been pretty annoying to have to track down a sun infusion, anyway, and keep spamming it around. Undead... hrm. They'd be mostly buggered. Unless they were one of the classes with a light giving talent squirreled away.

Which there are quite a few, thinking on it, but it's still a nuisance

[Graven]

Going by with my white Alchemist Light of +3 light radius, and I still can't help but be angry at the Temporal Warden nerfs, because... I just trashed the orc ambush. I never even got below half-psy, let alone take health damage. I stood and tanked the master without even moving, and the only thing that's forced me to use my torque of teleportation yet is a skeleton warrior from a vault which took all my psy in two hits while stunning me.

And I find antimagic unfun I want to help those sun paladins and anorithils god damn it, why can't I just try to convince them to renounce their villanous magical ways after I get them away from the huge spooky undead-infested tower?

edit : Oh wow I had forgotten how much I hate the Orc Breeding Pit. I'm serious, the thing literally makes me physically sick. It's also curious how many mental hoops I'll jump through to justify

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

wiping out an entire race

because the Orc Patrolls slightly inconvenience me. It's ok, guys, I

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

left almost all of the mothers alive, they'll be fine /down's

Now I have the four Prides and the Vor Armoury left, and I need someone to suggest zone order, because this is only my third time in the East, and the first ended in the Dark Crypt before visiting anything else.

[Frumple]

Definitely Vor Armory first, though you'll probably want to avoid the room of death on the first go, even as a solipsist. Then do briagh and go back west and a nab up all the backup guardians. Pride wise, I tend to clear out everything else before I start on them, but not really go about it in any order except doing the warrior on (north west 'un) last. I generally find if I can take one of the other ones, I can take all of the other ones. Warrior one gets special consideration because its little entrance-area levels can be flipping death traps.

And yeah, Ziguranthi are terrible people in a lot of ways. Attempting redemption of an arcane user would probably get you flayed or something. They've got a nominally noble goal (preventing a second cataclysm, basically) but their methodology is horrific ♫

Arcane users have their own problems, heh. Especially that 'end of the world' bit looming down the line

And haha, yes, to the spoilers. The player is actually a terrible person. Pretty much regardless. You're not so much a 'good guy' as you are violently and efficiently reinforcing the status quo. It's actually one of the things I love about T4... it manages to get that across, that the good you're doing isn't an objective good, but rather a 'good for your people', most of the time.

[Robsoie]

The most difficult of the Orc Prides for all the character i managed to get there was the Grushnak Pride (maybe that's the one you mention Frumple ?).
Those 3 or 4 small guarded barracks levels are an excellent way to lose a character, as it's easy to get teleported against your will then surrounded + hammered by very hard hitter all in a turn.

[Frumple]

Aye, grushy's. Those barracks levels are pretty much what would happen if you stuck an adventurer party and an orc ambush in a small room with you. It can get pretty hilarious.